Built my own model-agnostic AI workstation because I was tired of platform lock-in — free, BYOAK, open source

May 10, 2026

1:05

**Built my own model-agnostic AI workstation because I was tired of platform lock-in — free, BYOAK, open source**

Imagine this — every time you switch AI models, you have to rebuild your entire context, losing track of your personas and notes. That’s exactly what /u/EnricoFiora was fed up with. So, they built Architect’s Domain, a sleek, open-source workstation that sits on top of any provider — whether it’s Venice.ai, OpenRouter, or DeepSeek. It’s like having a personal AI hub where your environments stay persistent, with pinned context, imported files, and notes. And get this — memory isn’t automatic; you manually approve what gets remembered, giving you control. You can even inject character files or lore, making it perfect for role-playing or prompt engineering. Best part? No framework bloat — just vanilla JS, HTML, CSS — so it runs anywhere. As /u/EnricoFiora points out, it’s a game-changer for anyone tired of walled gardens and locked-in setups. This setup is a glimpse into a future where your tools are truly yours, flexible and open. Now, imagine what’s possible when you’re not tied down by platform limits.

Tired of rebuilding context every time I switched models. Tired of my personas living inside OpenAI's walled garden. Built something to fix it.

**Architect's Domain**, a workstation UI that sits on top of any provider.

Core features:

- **Workspace system**, persistent environments with pinned context, imported files, notes. Think Claude Projects but provider-agnostic

- **Manual memory curation**, fragments surface during chat, you approve or reject what gets remembered. No silent auto-memory

- **Character/persona system via file injection**, load .txt files as system context. Works with character cards, lorebooks, personality files, anything

- **Provider switching**, OpenRouter, Venice.ai, DeepSeek. Swap models without losing your setup

- **BYOAK**, your keys, your data, runs fully static

No React, no framework bloat. Vanilla JS + CSS + HTML. Deployable anywhere.

I use it daily for prompt engineering and RP character testing across different frontier models. The workspace + memory combo is what makes it actually useful vs just another chat wrapper.

Open source: https://github.com/HactoriXD/architects-domainv1

Feedback welcome! especially from people who've tried similar setups.

submitted by /u/EnricoFiora
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